‘The greatest ambassador for life on Earth’: Tributes paid to David Attenborough on his 100th birthday | David Attenborough

David Attenborough said he was “thoroughly touched by the birthday greetings” for his centenary on Friday and thanked well-wishers “most sincerely”.

The naturalist said he hoped to celebrate his 100th birthday quietly. Instead, the milestone will be celebrated with a live event from the Royal Albert Hall on BBC One, which will feature music from its programmes, as well as stories and reflections from public figures and leading advocates of the natural world.

In a recorded voicemail shared on Thursday night, Attenborough said: “I thought I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems many of you have other ideas.

“I have been overwhelmed by the birthday greetings from pre-school groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages. I cannot reply to each of you individually but I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to all of you for your kind messages.”

With her powerful voice telling the wonders of life on Earth to billions of people, the broadcaster inspired global efforts to value and protect wildlife during a lifetime that coincided with mass extinction and the collapse of a stable climate.

To celebrate its birthday, the Natural History Museum has named a newly discovered species of parasitic wasp: Attenboroughnculus tau – is following suit and running a riveting exhibition, Our Story with David Attenborough, until August.

At Kew Gardens, staff recorded a birthday message paying tribute and urging people to honor Attenborough by taking more care of plants and fungi. The Australian Museum will pay tribute to its patron by offering free entry to a new exhibition. Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires.

Praise poured in from the worlds of science, politics and popular culture. Naturalist Chris Packham said: “He is the greatest living broadcaster and the greatest ambassador of life on Earth the planet has ever had or will ever see. And just as importantly, he is a good man, a curious, passionate naturalist and an intelligent and thoughtful communicator. And we love him because we trust him because he always told us the truth as we know it. And what a legacy that is!”

Actor Ian McKellen in question Attenborough epitomized “the best of the BBC” by producing serious programs for a popular audience. “His ability to communicate his own enthusiasm is invaluable and has brought great joy to so many people,” he said.

Attenborough is known as a consummate storyteller whose sparse narration, dramatic timing and sense of humor connect audiences to ecosystems from the Amazon and the Atlantic to the Arctic and African savannas. He is a passionate advocate for the natural world.

Thanks to the ubiquity of television and the groundbreaking work of the BBC Natural History Unit, Attenborough is arguably humanity’s most reliable interpreter of other species. He is certainly one of the most popular Britons, according to polls.

Alastair Fothergill, of production company Silverback Films, said: “Working with David over the decades has been one of the great privileges of my life. Before him wildlife television was often seen as niche or educational programmes, but David brought the wonders of the planet into people’s living rooms in a completely new way.

“Suddenly, audiences around the world began to care about places and animals they had never seen before. It not only brought a unique sense of wonder and emotion to these stories, but also gave audiences a profound sense of responsibility to the planet.”

Attenborough was born in Isleworth, west London, in 1926 and grew up near Leicester; As a child, he roamed the countryside, cycling for miles to reach forested areas where he could find fossils under rocks.

After serving in the navy and in broadcasting, he applied for a job at the BBC in 1950 and soon began producing non-fiction factual programmes, including a series from the London zoo. He rose rapidly within the institution and was appointed controller of BBC2 in 1965; After this role, he commissioned the first episodes of programs such as The Old Gray Whistle Test and developed the groundbreaking documentary series Civilization.

But his real interest was in wildlife and documentary filmmaking, which led to the 13-part series Life on Earth in 1979. In one acclaimed episode, he had an unexpectedly close encounter with an adult male gorilla in Rwanda. In a relaxed monologue, he reminded the audience: “It seems very unfair indeed that man should choose the gorilla to symbolize all that is aggressive and violent, when there is only one thing that the gorilla is not, and that we are.”

From this moment on he became a famous and influential figure, but some said he did not emphasize climate collapse enough. Writer George Monbiot said he was “astonished by Attenborough’s consistent failure to construct a coherent, accurate and effective defense of the living world he loves.”

While many defended the filmmaker’s approach, Attenborough himself said that he had often sounded environmental alarms in many series, such as 2000’s Planet of the Planet, but that too many dire warnings could create “shutdown”.

In recent years Attenborough has drawn even greater attention to the damage being done to the natural world. He told the Guardian in 2018 that his aim was to get people to care enough to do something; drawing people in and then giving them an environmental message at the end of a program or series. This has been particularly successful with Blue Planet, which sparked a global campaign against plastic.

Attenborough took to the stage at the UN climate talks in Poland in December 2018 to warn of an existential crisis. “We are currently facing a man-made catastrophe on a global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change,” he said. “If we do not act, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.”

Three years later he told the younger generation at Cop26 in Glasgow: “I have witnessed a terrible decline in my life. You can and should witness a wonderful recovery in yours.”